Library OF CONGRESS. I 



. nNlTED STATES OP AMERICA. | 



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SERMON 

ON THE OCCASION OF 

THE DEATH OF 

GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 

LATE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 

DELIVERED 

IN THE CHAPEL 

OF 



April 18, 1841, 
BY REV. DAVID S. DOGGETT, 



PUBLISHED BY REQUEST OF THE STUDENTS. 



EICHMOND: 

PHINTED AT THE OFFICE OF THE CHBISTIAN ADVOCATE. 



1841. 



Uv 



^ 



SERMON 

ON THE OCCASION OF 

THE DEATH OF 

GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 

LATE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 
DELIVERED 

IN THE CHAPEL 

OP 

April 18, 1841, 
BY REV. DAVID S. DOGGETT. 

PUBLISHED BY REQUEST OF THE STUDENTS. 



KICHMOND: 

FEINTED AT THE OFFICE OF THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE. 

1841. 



L 



SERMON 

ON THE OCCASION OF 

THE DEATH OF 

GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, 

LATE PRESIDENT OP THE UNITED STATES. 



Psalm, Ixxv. 6, 7. — For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, 
nor from the south ; but God is the judge ; he putteth down one, and setieth 
up another. 

One of the most common, and yet one of the most startling 
obh'quities of the human mind, is that by which it labors to exclude 
God from an actual agency in his own works. A practically 
atheistic sentiment has supplanted that generous and universal re- 
cognition of Him, which, though it be not so natural, is a thousand 
times more rational and pleasing. A God is, indeed, acknowledged; 
unlimited dominion is ascribed to him, and the hope of obtaining 
his aid upon occasions of emergency, and especially of impending 
peril, is fondly cherished: and there are times, when human im- 
potence, prostrate before the altar, in the attitude and the tones of 
a beseeching earnestness, seeks to engage the Divine blessing; and 
the invocation is sometimes made upon the magnificent scale of a 
nation's prayers. 

Yet, while the scourge of famine, of pestilence, or of war, may 
lash an ungrateful and a disobedient people into the consciousness 



and confession of their helplessness, and direct the imploring eye 
to heaven for relief; in the ordinary course of events, it is virtually 
supposed, that man and his Maker, occupy very different spheres; 
that, although the latter be accessible, he does not interfere in di- 
recting or controlling the earthly destinies of his creatures; that 
he will award the final and eternal states of individuals, but leave 
wholly to them the management of all that appertains merely to 
the relations of the present life; that human policy and human 
passion are left, the one, to play its game upon the fortunes, and 
the other, to blow its blast upon the scattered wreck of human 
society, unobserved and unarrested by the Father of the universe; 
and that, mankind, however they may live and die, personally, as 
communities and nations, resemble the waves of the ocean, which, 
after rolling and foaming in the company of their fellows, sink 
with them into the common level. 

But whence originates this wicked, this godless sentiment? Who 
has expelled the Deity from one of the most important provinces 
of his empire, and made worms, all at once, in the success of an 
insurrectionary movement, independent of Him? What, but the 
pride and presumption of the heart, has had the tendency, by putting 
out the eyes, to hide him from the sight of mortals ; and will allow 
that myriads of intelligent beings, in their secular capacities, ap- 
pear and disappear from the theatre of life; that nations aggregate 
and dissolve; empires rise and fall ; and that princes reign and 
are deposed, without the special oversight and will of God? 

To assert this high prerogative, to shed a salutary influence 
upon the infidel mind of man, to exact the rightful tribute from 
his reluctant hand, to build the fortunes of a people upon the smiles 
of their God, to utter an indignant rebuke upon the self-prompted 
vanity of sinners, to warn aspiring states of their impending 
doom; the voice of inspiration publishes the high and solemn truth, 
that both in the minute and great affairs of the human family, there 
are the actual presence and agency of God. So much, at least, 
are we warranted in saying, is the doctrine of this passage: "For 
promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from 
the south; but God is the judge; he putteih down one, and setteth 
up another." 



In the examination of this subject, we shall call up to your no- 
lice, nnd endeavor to illustrate several doctrines, as little anticipa- 
ted, perhaps, by you, as they were, a few days since, by myself; 
but which appear relevant both to the text and the occasion; and 
which need be inculcated upon the citizens, and especially upon 
the youth of our country; a duty which may be discharged the 
more freely to you, my young friends, since I was requested by 
you to perform it. 

I invite you then, to follow me in some reflections, 

I. Upon the wide and sublime relation, which the Divine Being 
holds to man in his associated capacity. Perhaps, I ought to be 
more definite still in this proposition. I mean that relation which 
he holds to man as a tenant of this world alone, and not as he will 
exist when he leaves it; the relation which refers to those shapes 
which society assuines for the common weal. 

To a superficial observer, the structure and the forms of society 
appear to be the result of obvious causes only ; of the aggregate 
wants of individuals, leading to the adoption of systems of reoula- 
tions, terriiinating in the general good ; and that, for these purposes, 
man of himself is amply competent, without assuming the neces- 
sity of a special Divine superintendence. Leaving the considera- 
tion of this opinion to another place, I proceed to observe under 
this article; 

1. That the doctrine of the Holy Scriptures upon this question 
is, that God is the author and the arbiter of the social destinies of 
the world. It behooves us reverently to hear what they assert. It 
will enlarge our conceptions of the grandeur and solemnity of the 
Divine prerogative over man, to see in what terms they express it. 
And it may be well to make this inquiry now, as this subject, but 
for such an occasion, might not be introduced into the pulpit. 

The quotations which we shall make from the Scriptures, we 
will arrange in the following classes, viz : 

First. Those which express God's universal dominion. " Thou 
art the God," says one, "even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of 
the earth." Says another, "God is king of all the earth. God 
reigneth over the Heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his 
holiness. The earth i^ the Lord's and the fullness thereof.'' 



Again, "for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, 
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones 
or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created 
by Him and for Him : and he is before all things, and by Him all 
things consist. Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King 
of Kings and Lord of Lords ?" He is styled ; " the King immor- 
tal, eternal, invisible, the only wise God and our Saviour ; the 
Prince of the Kings of the earth." Again; "thou hast created 
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." 

Secondly. Those which refer to the particular events of king- 
doms and states. " I, saith the Almighty, have made the earth, the 
man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power 
and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it 
seemeth good unto me. Daniel says, " He changeth the times and 
the seasons: He removeth kings and setteth up kings. The most 
High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever 
he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. And this is the 
writing which was written, mene, mene, tekel. tjpharsin. 
This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath num- 
bered thy kingdom and finished it. Tekel; thou art weighed 
in the balances and art found wanting. "Peres; thy kingdom 
is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." "He looseth the 
bonds of kings, and girdeth their loins with a girdle. He leadeth 
princes away spoiled and overwhelmeth the mighty." Finally, 
" Behold as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, O 
house of Israel. At lohat instant I shall speak concerning a nation, 
and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and 
to destroy it ; If that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn 
from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto 
them. And at tvhat instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and 
concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it: If it do evil in 
my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, 
wherewith I said I would benefit them." 

Thirdly. Those which refer to the origin of civil power. 

The forms under which this power may be veiled and exerted, 
constitute a diflercnt question. Perhaps, they are left wholly to 



the exig-ency of the times. It may be assumed that any form of 
government which, in its peculiar circumstances, actually secures 
the best interests of the governed is acceptable to God. Nor does 
that abuse of civil power which has so often disgraced the rulers 
and crushed the people, in the least degree, affect the scriptural doc- 
trine, that the power itself is derived from God, and is a gift depo- 
sited with man for the preservation and prosperity of human 
society. In respect to this fact, the word of God says, "by me 
kings reign and princes decree justice. By me princes reign, and 
nobles, even all the judges of the earth. For there is no power 
but of God : the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever 
therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God : and 
they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation (condemna- 
tion.) For he is the minister of God to thee for good. Then 
said Pilate unto him, (Jesus) speakest thou not unto me? Knowest 
thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to re- 
lease thee? Jesus answered, thou couldst have no power at all 
against me, except it were given thee from above." 

This collection of passages will suffice to establish the propo- 
sition as scripturnl ; thnt Gnd is the anfhnr and arbiter of the social 
destinies of the world, 

2. This doctrine so explicitly stated by Revelation, so unfamiliar 
to the mind and so humbling to the pride of man, nevertheless ac- 
cords with the dictates of a sound philosophy. For, since God is 
the creator and preserver of all, since every creature is equally 
his, and since he is infinitely good, he must have a universal con- 
cern for them. And as they are aggregated into masses, large or 
small, involving and blending the interests of each individual com- 
posing them, so he must entertain a concern for them in these capa- 
cities ; and as he is not wanting in ability, so he must, in these capa- 
cities, contrive their advantage, or punish their crimes. 

Again : It is granted, that there are implanted in the human 
constitution, principles which incline, nay, impel men to associate 
under various forms of government, for mutual advantage, and 
that these are the obvious causes of their association. Yet, it can- 
not be denied that such principles were implanted by the Creator; 



8 

that they are his laws, and manifest his design. But, if so, can he 
be unconcerned about, or inattentive to the operation of the one, or 
the exhibition of the other? He certainly cannot. He must be 
admitted to have a part in the carrying out of his own plans. 

Again : If we consider that man in his associated capacity, is 
man still, though upon a larger scale; having, vvith the aggregate 
of wisdom and virtue, the aggregate also of infirmity and passion; 
we shall see that there is obviously as great a necessity for the 
Divine Providence over the body politic as over the body physi- 
cal, for its guardianship, for its perpetuity, the supply of its un- 
counted wants; and whatever appertains to the economic well-being 
of the whole. The one could no more subsist a moment, without 
the tender care of God, than the other. 

Furthermore: A mere reference to some of the great and spe- 
cial interests which are, of necessity, involved in society, whatever 
peculiar phases it may assume, will advise us of the importance 
and necessity of the Divine agency to secure them. What then 
are these interests? Let us inquire. Take for instance, national 
prosperity. Can God be unmindful of this. Infinitely happy 
himself, he rejoices in the happiness, and is touched with a Divine 
sympathy at the misfortunes of his creatures. If a sparrow falleth 
not to the ground without Him, shall a nation fall without Him? 
No, my brethren, from his very nature and that paternal relation 
he holds to man, he must be interested in the welfare of nations ; 
and all those events connected with and productive of it, must, on 
this principle, be ascribed to him. And particularly so, since na- 
tional prosperity can no more arise from mere national sources, 
than individual prosperity from individual sources. And it must 
be admitted as true, in the one respect, as in the other, that "every 
good and every perfect gift cometh down from above, from the 
Father of lio-hts, with whom there is neither variableness nor 
shadow of turning." The national wealth, the national strength, 
the national wisdom, the national health, the national happiness, 
are all the blessings of Him whose nature is love, and whose very 
smile lights up the lamp of universal joy. 

But the social and physical enjoyment of man, is a vastly infe- 
rior consideration to his intellectual and moral cultivation. It is 



ihe capacity for this, which designates man, attaches to him his 
true character, and points out his high and solemn destiny ; and 
must make him, therefore, more a subject of the regards of the 
Deity. How the social is bound up with, and influences the indi- 
vidual mind and character, it is very easy to conceive. The na- 
tional intellect and the national morals must give impression, more 
or less certainly, to the individual intellect and the individual 
morals. And when we add the reflection, that the influence of 
society upon these, must extend throughout all time and all eternity, 
the force of the observation is greatly increased. But, if such be 
the momentous fact, must not the Maker of us all, be supposed to 
have an actual agency in the shape and movements of society, since 
it is to exert such a tremendous power? 

The existence and the character of social institutions are inti- 
mately interwoven with moral truth, (which we may here take 
separately,) with all those principles and duties for which God 
may be said to be yet more interested ; because they constitute, in. 
fact, a part of his cause upon earth; are more nearly allied to his 
purity ; because they define what is sin, and enter into the very 
nature of righteousness; and because they are the conservative 
elements of society itself; and, acted out upon the greater scale of 
national conduct, possess a magnitude which would otherwise be 
inconceivable. God is infinitely concerned for the cause and the 
progress of virtue, because it glorifies him, and is the ornament and 
safeguard of his creatures. If, therefore, the condition of society 
be inseparable from the injury or success of such a cause, God 
must exert a controlling power, directly or indirectly over it. 

Yet, again: As in the smaller, so in the larger collections of 

men, one is designed to lead the other on in the great march of 

improvement; to exalt and to harmonize the whole. God, my 

brethren, operates upon a wide and extensive plan, and unites into 

it, materials of which we take no knowledge. In the compass of 

his economy, nations act reciprocally ; one chastises and instructs 

another, with the design of bringing all, under one general and 

healthful administration, as the diflerent parts of a vast and happy 

empire. I'hc world itself may be but one of the integral parts of 
<2 



10 

a grand and immense system of moral order and perfection in a 
state of vigorous operation under the gracious superintendence of 
its great Moral governor. 

Once more: God is the universal monarch. We have seen 
that " He is king of kings and Lord of lords." From this very 
relation, it is right, it is necessary, he must desire, that his autho- 
rity be acknowledged, and his eternal throne duly honored. 
Nebuchadnezzar was chastised and humbled for this purpose; and 
many of the providences of God over nations, have been designed 
to remind them of their allegiance, and to exact from them their 
unrendered homage. The very recognition of the rectoral rela- 
tion of the Deity, involves the conclusion, that jealous for the 
glory of his own name, he should assert his right before the 
kingdoms of the earth, and be ever watchful and ever working to 
maintain it. 

Finally. The christian religion must be, as it obviously is, 
God's first and chief cause upon earth: a cause, in which every 
other interest of men is embraced, and with which all that is noble 
or hopeful to man or to society in this world or the next is identi- 
fied: a cause, in reference to which, man and society subsist; upon 
the influence of which, human existence itself is doubtless predica- 
ted. To the progress and triumph of this cause, therefore, God 
must have a continual and unsuspended reference. Not to con- 
solidate the civil with the ecclesiastical, or to supplant the former 
by the latter, but to give his religion its utmost power over the 
hearts of all. It cannot be doubted that the legislation, the politics, 
and the habits of a people, affect its progress. In a word, that the 
condition of a nation repels or cherishes its influence. History 
abundantly confirms this opinion. If this be true, and what wo 
here assert of the gospel be true also, then it must follow that a 
Divine agency is actually put forth in modifying, restraining, or 
sanctifying the events of stales for the purpose of preparing the 
way for the admission and difTusion of Christianity. 

Collecting all these considerations together, they form an argu- 
ment which not only accords with, but sustains and confirms the 
scriptural doctrine, that God has an actual agency in the aflairs of 
kingdoms and states. We are required, 



11 

II. To define, as far as \vc may be able, the part which the Divine 
Being may be supposed to take in the aflairs of nations. I am 
required to do this, for two reasons, viz: To point out that ac- 
knowledgment which is due to him ; and to reconcile the doctrine 
which we have advocated, with the conscious freedom of human 
actions. For, if we were to leave that doctrine as it has been 
stated, it might seem to involve a contradiction. Two cautionary 
remarks ought, perhaps, to precede the statement of our views; 
first, that from the nature of the Divine will, the extent of his 
dominion, the vast and complicated relations of his government, 
our finite and imperfect minds cannot form an adequate judgment 
of its administration ; since there must be many particular move- 
ments which, though necessarily entering into his plan, come not 
within the reach of our observation. Secondly, that our judg- 
ment concerning a measure or a man, as in many of the minor 
affairs of life, are often actually proven to be incorrect. Thus, 
what we decide, even upon our best information, to be wrong, turns 
out to be right. The result is precisely that which w^e should 
have desired, and the means those we should have preferred. Thus 
it may continually be with the estimates which we make of the 
actual doings of Providence; and thus an individual or a party 
may be put into power, because God sees not as man sees, and be- 
cause, if he do not design immediately to bless, he does to chastise 
for some flagrant aberration from the path of duty. So that, not- 
withstanding, " promotion yet comes neither from the east nor from 
the west, nor from the south, but God is judge; he setteth up one 
and putteth down another." We will again remark, that the part 
which the Divine Being takes, though constant and efficient, is not 
always and immediately absolute and irresistible : and that actions 
may be free in themselves, but their results be necessary. 

That we may see the question before us the more clearly, we 
will state it part by part; for such is our weakness, that the great 
majority of subjects cannot be otherwise investigated. It will be 
granted, 

1st. That all good of every kind, whether in an individual or 
a nation, comes from God ; that under what form soever it may apv 



12 

pear, or through what instrumentalities soever it may have been 
eftected, it is all ascribable to his blessing. If there be a thriving 
population, healthful and salutary laws, wise and good rulers, an 
extensive and enriching commerce, pacific foreign relations, uni- 
versal harmony and happiness; these are the bestowments of a 
munificent Providence. 

2. That national and political evil comes from God in the ex- 
ercise of his judicial character; though it "is his strange work." 
It is perfectly consistent with just conceptions of the Divine charac- 
ter, and accurate views of human nature, to adopt this conclusion ; 
and under the free workings of the human mind, when national evil 
is felt to its greatest extent, such a conclusion is actually adopted. 
These evils follow either as a merciful chastisement upon the sub- 
jects of them, who need to be brought by correction to their duty; 
or, as an expression of the Divine displeasure upon the incorrigi- 
ble: a principle as applicable to nations as to individuals. Thus, 
famines, pestilence, wars, discordant counsels, ill-advised measures, 
unsuccessful enterprizes, subjugation to foreign powers, the tyranny, 
the despotism, or the death of rulers, form parts of that august sys- 
tem of government which God Almighty wields over men. 

3. Moral evil can, in none of its aspects, be attributed to God. 
Yet, in all nations it makes one of their chief exhibitions. Of 
this, we are at liberty to say thus much ; that while sinful men are 
free agents, God will not, or, it may be, cannot, consistently with 
that fact, prevent it; that he invariably resists, by his Spirit, word, 
and Providence, its influence, so far as is compatible with man's 
free agency; that when it does exist, he suffers it, in reference to 
its inevitable results; which results, are the actual execution, by 
God himself, of his own laws , vindicating, at the same time, his 
own honor, and displaying in its true light, the real cause of a 
nation's rise and fall. 

Thus we may explain, with entire satisfaction and consistency 
with the scriptural doctrine, what often appears and as often 
astounds in the progress of society. How, for instance, an arbi- 
trary despot, as Nebuchadnezzar, might reign over a servile and 
irembling people, and stretch the sceptre of his empire in rapid 



13 

and irresistible succession, over the awestruck kingdoms around 
him, and make the very theocrat of Israel, a vassal to his throne. 
How the obscure Corsican could wade through a sea of blood to 
a throne of sculls, and make obsequious popes and princes crouch- 
ing menials at his haughty foot-stool; or how the great and good 
Washington" could "lead to glorious war," what may not be impro- 
perly called, " the sacramental hosts of God's elect." In all these 
instances, we can still acknowledge, that " promotion cometh neither 
from the east nor from the west, nor from the south, but God is 
judge; he setteth up one and putteth down another." We proceed, 

III. To point out the finger of God in the history of several 
nations, which, viewed superficially, exhibits nothing more than, 
what is called, the natural course of events. Tlie field of our ob- 
servation is here both large and difficult; but we shall make such 
selections as are most warranted by truth and analogy. If our 
knowledge of the whole range of history were as accurate as it 
should be, it would read to our astonished ear?, a full and over- 
whelming testimony to the word of God. We take, 

1st. Those nations which are mentioned in the inspired his- 
tory, in which the hand of God is purposely shown ; and of 
which, did we not know the special fact from an infallible source, 
we should judge as we do of others of which we have no such 
information, but whose e.Kternal features are identically the •same, 
or very similar. To those who receive the scriptural account, 
(and we speak to such only) its declarations will be sufficient. 
That affirms that the whole Jewish kingdom, in its constitu- 
tion, in its prosperity, in its adversity, in all its events, was the 
object of God's special and ever watchful care. The settlement, 
the victories, the fruitfulness, the reverses, the captivities, the resto- 
ration of that people, are all said to be his acts. There were, 
indeed, some peculiar relations existing between him and them, 
assumed for the general benefit of mankind, but on no other ac- 
count was he a respecter of them, except, perhaps, for the sake of 
their pious ancestors. So that the notices we find in their history 
of the Divine interposition, are not to be interpreted as though he 
xvas solely occupied with them. No, he was the God of the Gen- 



14 

tiles also : and tho same history is equally explicit in its records of 
his transactions with such of them as bordered upon the land of 
Israel , in which we find the actual exercise of the same unlimited 
power and indisputable authority. 

The manifestation of this absolute sovereignty, in some of its 
forms, appears in several remarkable cases in the earlier history 
of our race; namely, the deluge; by which, God, being- displeased 
with the then corrupt generation of man, swept well nigh the whole 
of them from the face of the earth. Great God! How easily 
canst thou dispose of thy creatures! Another is the confusion of 
tongues at the tower of Babel, the simple, and efficient method 
which he adopted, at the same time to chastise, and disperse its 
builders and to found the diffi^rent nations which have since peopled 
the world. Behold that same power overwhelming the cities of 
the plain; setting up and putting down the Egyptian monarchsat 
will, to serve his purposes ; and to show that thrones are as acces- 
sible and as manageable by Him as the seat of the humblest sub- 
ject; in expelling and exterminating the Canaanites; in giving 
the sword and the sceptre into the hand of the king of Babylon, 
guiding and crowning his victorious arms, so that he is emphatically 
called "the hammer of the whole earth;" the very instrument of 
the Divine choice to bruise and crush the nations. See him taking 
these ensigns back again, leading the dreadful conqueror himself 
captive, putting "a hook into his jaw," leading him by an invisi- 
ble influence whither he would, and finally humbling him to the 
companionship of the beasts of the field. Behold him calling the 
magnanimous Persian by name, one hundred years before his 
birth, to dissolve the power of the Chaldean tyrant; and in raising 
up the Median, who made his royal festival the precursor and oc- 
casion of universal carnage and captivity. 

These are some of those historical events in which the agency 
of God is pointed out by the finger of inspiration itself; events, 
which, if that explanation had not been given, would have been 
received as the results of ambition, of revenge, of the thirst of con- 
quest, of luxury, or of accident. If we see the same or similar 
changes in the history of other nations, at other periods, we have 



the same aiiihorlty to warrant the belief, that the same hand has 
been stretched out to produce them. Where is the dilTerence? 
Only in this, that the pen of inspiration has not recorded their his- 
tory. Had it done so, the same unbroken testimony had been 
given to the ever active agency of God. Yet, we have ample rea- 
son to conclude that God has judged ihem, and that he sits upon 
his awful and unapproachable throne, bidding them to collect and 
dissolve, that they may accomplish some great purpose, the whole 
of which mortals are not permitted to see. In this way, although 
not so apt to be perceived, were raised an annihilated the Grecian 
and the Roman, as, indeed, all the kingdoms of antiquity. Upon 
the theatre of three, in modern times, we witness the characteristic 
displays of the same omnipotent power, in different aspects. It 
was God who made the French people, in the dismal night of their 
horrid revolution, execute upon themselves the punishment of their 
infidelity and their crim3s ; and in fighting against him to destroy 
themselves. It was God that gave stability to the British throne, 
and accession to her dominion on distant shores. And we rejoice 
to trace the same Divine interposition in the liberties and the glory 
of our happy country. It enhances our joy and invigorates our 
confidence to appeal to that Being who was the God of our armies 
and the avenger of our wrongs. Illustrious instruments indeed 
acted their well remembered and well praised parts in the magnifi- 
cent drama of the American revolution. These very instruments 
themselves acknowledged and invoked his smile. His Moses 
and his Aaron led out the triumphant hosts. A Washington com- 
manded and a Henry spoke, but He gave nerve to the arm and 
skill to the plans of the one, and fire to the immortal eloquence of 
the other. He, unseen, within his dark pavilion, uttered the word ; 
his agents obeyed ; victory followed the track of battle, and 
freedom rewarded the righteous cause. Nor has our subsequent 
unshaken stability and unparalleled prosperity less perspicuously 
denoted his continued favors ; or, the occasional disasters which 
have filled us with consternation, his chastising rod. 

If a longer time and a better information would allow, the an- 
nals of all nations would unfold to us, what, perhaps, they did not to 



16 

themselves, the efficient operation of a superintending Providence, 
moving upon the sea of human beings, and causing nations to suc- 
ceed each other as billows upon its surface: and they would read 
a lecture illustrating the text; that "promotion cometh neither from 
the east nor from the west, nor from the south, but that God is 
judge; he putteth down one and seiteth up another." Yes, my 
brethren, he is the "judge." He weighs monarchies and repub- 
lics in the scales of his justice, and bids them flourish and fade as 
the flowers of the field. What an awful majesty is his! What 
an insignificance is ours! What might clothes his arm ! What a 
helplessness invests his creatures! What a confounding rebuke 
has the Prophet uttered upon the presumption and self-attempted 
greatness of infatuated worms. "Behold," says he, "the nations 
are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the 
balance. All nations before him are as nothing, and they are 
counted to him less than nothing and vanity. It is he that sitteth 
upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as 
grass-hoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and 
spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in; that bringeth the princes 
to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, 
they shall not be planted, yea, they shall not be sown, yea, their 
stock shall not take root in the earth ; and he shall also blow upon 
them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them 
away as stubble." We shall inquire, 

IV. Into the duty which nations owe to God ; and thus into the 
elements of their deep and long continued, prosperity. We may 
more easily despatch this part of our subject. I mean, there will' 
be less difficulty in defining this duty or describing these elements. 

1. We mention, the worship of God. If he be the God of na- 
tions, he should be recognized and honored in that stupendous re- 
lation ; a befitingf and a ceaseless homage rendered to his eternal 

JO *-' 

name. I wish to present this duty in a two-fold light. First, 
Every citizen should be a christian, and worship Him in his indi- 
vidual capacity. It is incumbent upon every one so to be. Thus, 
there would be a nation of christians. But, secondly, a whole 
nation should be christian, as a national designation. Not by 



17 

title only, but in fact: chrislidn in their acliml character, christian 
in their institutions, christian in their recognition of christian 
truths, christian in their national acknowledgments, and christian 
iu their policy. National assemblies, state legislatures, officers of 
government, should humble themselves in worship before God. 
And they can be and do all this, without a national form of wor- 
ship, at any time to be deprecated as a curse. This national 
homage may be rendered, and yet any and every man may ofFer 
his habitual and personal worship in the form which accords with 
his conscientious scruples. But while this tribute is due to God, 
christian worship is necessary to the prosperity of a people. Can a 
nation survive and flourish without honoring God 1 No : His ser- 
vice is identified with their interests. They may legislate, they may 
project schemes of outward extension, or of internal improvement, 
levy armies, mantle navies, raise bulwarks, erect monuments, and 
promote learning; but if God's worship be neglected, his name 
dishonored, his religion spurned, every step will be one to ruin, and 
their former glory written in the dust. He will abandon them to 
the luckless spirit of discord and of faction, convert their rivers of 
milk and honey into gall, turn their salutary laws into "a whip of 
scorpions ; and their well-balanced government, into a grinding 
despotism ;" and repeat the tragic scenes of demolished empires 
and of trembling States. Indeed, for the purpose of his glory in 
the salvation of men, do governments subsist; and when they de- 
feat that purpose, their destiny ia sealed. 

2. A nation must trust in God. As they actually depend upon 
Him, so they should cherish and express a feeling of dependence. 
One of the most odious sins, is national pride, independence of 
God, and a reliance upon itself. He " is a jealous God and his 
glory will he not give to another." Nor is it merely a national 
crime, but the greatest national injury. For, the Divine blessing 
will be withdrawn when success is expected from man, and the 
honor of it appropriated to him. Rulers and officers may be great 
and good. But what are they? Only his agents. "Ministers of 
his to do his pleasure;" and are no more, without him, than 
withered leaves. Moreover, they are short-sighted and sinful, and 



18 

arc apt to err through weakness or passion. How precarious 
then are the hopes reposed in man or his works! Constitutions 
are fabrics of snow; counsels are bubbles; leagues are ropes of 
sand; swords are spires of grass; and navies and armies figures 
in the clouds, if God be not in them. " It is belter" says the 
Psalmist, "to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man." 
He repeats, " it is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence 
in princes." It is said by a Prophet, " cursed is the man that 
trusteth in man, and makelh flesh his arm." A spirit of hum- 
ble confidence in the Supreme Being should inspire the public in 
all their measures, and in all their disasters; a spirif, which would 
have the tendency to allay the public irritation, quiet their fears, 
stimulate to a godly enterprize, and rear a divine fortification 
around their safe and peaceful dwellings. What a want of such 
a spirit do we see ! The hopes of a people rest upon the shoulders 
of a man, the success of one party or the failure of another. Con- 
ventions sit, legislatures open and adjourn, (the sin of our own 
State) great works are undertaken ; all without God. The nations 
of antiquity, in some respects, even in their very idolatry, were less 
idolaters than we. The will of the gods was always consulted 
upon every extraordinary occasion. Amongst us, it would be as 
true as it is reproachful, to say, that the will of Jehovah is con- 
sulted upon none. 

3. The people must be obedient to the laws; whether those 
laws please them in all their bearings, or the rulers have been 
men of their choice. The preservation of a State depends, exter- 
nally, upon the observance of its statutes. It is required as a ne- 
cessary part of a good christian, that he be a good citizen. And 
this obedience must be rendered conscientiously ; and when ren- 
dered, is reckoned as done to God. " Let every soul" says the apos- 
tle "be subject unto the higher powers. Wherefore ye must needs 
be subject, not only for wrath, but for conscience sake." Thus, 
must government be upheld as necessary to the ends of society, 
whenever it is not positively iniquitous; whenever it does not 
grossly violate the constitution of a Slate, upon which the delega- 
ted authority is based. And of ihi?. not a few, but the majority 



19 

must be the judges: an 1 thon again, since anarchy poises itself 
on the pivot of such a hazird, it must be well considered if it 
be not better to submit to sufferable iiijustiee lh:iu to rush into the 
jaws of a general revolution. If these conditions exisi, and these 
reqnishions be fulfilled, thon it may be asked, may not a people 
refuse submission to the laws? But not till then. 

4, There must be a recognition of God in the dispensations of 
his Providence, whether prosperous or adverse. Do we enjoy 
freedom? God hath bestowed it. Does the tide of plenty roll 
its varied riches to our doors? He hath directed it thither. Do 
the fruits of our industry and frugality clus'er in luxuriant abun- 
dance around our peaceful habitations? He hath smiled upon our 
labors. Are our institutions permanent and influential? God 
hath imparted to them that character. Are our foreign relations 
pacific? He hath made them so Here I should not forbear a 
reflection uoon one of our greatest sins, blended, as it is, with one 
of our most commendable traits as a nation. The sin is ingrati- 
tude to God, terminating in human idolatry. The commendable 
trait blended vvith it, is veneration for the truly great. We should 
love the memory and emulate the deeds of such, but we should 
not forget Gol in the admiration of his creatures Alas I too 
often our patriotic celebrations are more fulsome ofTerings at the 
shrine of human glory, while the altar of God is left without a 
sacrifice. Man is worshipped, his Maker is dishonored, and an 
eloquent ingenuity is often strained, as if, on purpose, to withhold 
his rightful praise. Let our fourth of July never be forgotten. Let 
our Washington first in the temple of fiime, and first upon her 
roll, be ever dear to every American citizen, and admired by every 
tribe of man. Let the glorious chronicle of our illustrious namt s 
pass in brilliant and exciting review before our admiring eyes. 
But let God be honored first, and let them all be the means of ex 
alting him and of strengthening our obligations to do him service; 
and this very acknowledgment shall hallow and sweeten our festive 
enjoyments, and shed a heavenly fragrance through the atmosphere 
of our national anniversary. I know not but he has now a con. 
troversy with us for the dishonor put upon his name amidst tho 



20 

profusion of praises with which \vc have covered his instruments. 
On the other hand : Do sad reverses, desolating diseases, unfruit- 
ful seasons, internal discord, and ravaging wars form the mourn- 
ful incidents of a nation's history? Let the finger of a righteous 
and incensed God be sesn in the ominious tracery so fearfully de- 
picted upon its lowering horizon. Let humiliation and repentance, 
fasting and prayer avert the coming doom, as they did in the most 
remarkable case, recorded in history ; that of Nineveh. When the 
sentence of exterminating wraih was uttered in the ears of its in- 
habitants, every creature, from man to beast, from monarch to slave 
bore the emblems of a deep and universal sorrow. 

Havino- occupied your attention with such observations as 
seemed to arise out of our subject, I may now more particularly 
advert to the occasion which convenes us together to day. And, 

1. Is there not an obvious fulfilment of one part of the text in the 
solemn event we now commemorate, viz: " That God is judge; 
he putteth down ?" Behold the exercise of his judicial preroga- 
tive in putting down not only a man, but the chief magistrate of 
this great nation, under circumstances which every way demon- 
strate that it was his act. Just entered upon the duties of the 
highest office in the gift of the people, with no symptoms of dis- 
ease or disability, but with a vigor unusual to a man of sixty-eight, 
and about to accomplish the will of those who put him in power; 
within one month of his inauguration, when the wishes of one 
party were realized, and the opposition of the other had ceased, he 
dies. Who, but God, hath done this? 

2. Another part of the text finds an illustration in one of the 
concomitanis of this event; that is, God as judge, "setteth up 
another." For another is invested with the very office his prede- 
cessor was designed to fill; of whose incumbency friends had no 
hopes, foes, no fears, and himself no expectation. A feeling of 
surprise, scarcely realizes the fact, that the people, by long and 
earnest efforts, elevated a man for the space of four years, and in a 
little more than one month after that elevation, a different indivi- 
dual seems permanently placed in his stead : a movement evidently 
indicating the hand of God, and which, perhaps, places that indi- 



21 

vidua! in a position more favorable for the difficult measures of 
his office, than his predecessor. Not having been the object of the 
people's contention, he cannot now be of their unqualified censure 
or praise. The very peculiarity of his situation, will give him the 
advantage of a candid criticism and a generous forbearance, and 
entitle him to those calm, but earnest regards which a sudden 
emergency secures to a deserving individual. To e.xpress this 
strange vicissitude in a figure; the sun, after having arrived to his 
illustrious zenith, by some invisible cause, suddenly and with as- 
tounding velocity, has set beneath our political horizon, and a lesser 
orb has appeared above it, to follow in his track and revolve during 
the cycle of the constitutional term. 

3. The death of which we are now speaking, is a national event; 
I do not say a national calamity : and it should excite the national 
sensibility. It occurred when the deceased was representing the 
national will, and invested with delegated authority to subserve the 
highest purposes of government. Besides, the greater part of his 
preceding life has been devoted to the public service ; and none can 
deny that he deserved well of his country. Having received a classi- 
cal education, at Hampden Sydney College, he soon embarked 
with a noble chivalry in the defence of his country; distinguished 
himself at the battles of Tippecanoe, Fort Meigs and the Thames, 
all of which, he conducted with the highest talents of the Gene- 
ral ; retired from the rigors of the field to the tranquility of 
private life, and then again, entered upon the duties of State, in 
which he was no less distinguished as Senator, Governor and 
Foreign Minister. Once, again, leaving the tumult of public life, 
he settled down into the repose of the farmer of North Bend, living 
in the simplicity and hospitality of a true republican. From this 
voluntary obscurity the voice of this mighty confederacy summoned 
him to the enjoyment of its richest honors and the fulfilment of 
its most responsible office; upon the immediate assumption of 
which, a higher authority bid him lay them down and appear in 
bis presence. An event so solemn and affecting has already 
awakened, as it should, a universal response, in the bosoms of even 
his political opponents, and obtains for him that commemoration 



22 

duo to virtuous rulers. The whole Union, as if suddenly s'ruck 
with the shock of a common calamity, meet to mourn over his less, 
and to offer at his tomb the significant memoriala of their deep and 
abiding regret. 

4. This event triumphantly rebukes the folly of feverish and 
convulsive elections. The free expression of candid opinions, the 
exercise of private rights, the moderate discussion and contention 
of parties, are the bl^essings of a free government, and contribute 
to its stability. But what can result from the rage of party strife 
and the stratagems of a restless and wicked policy. Nothing, but 
the collection and explosion of the most disastrous elements that 
can exist in a country, subverting the very foundations of govern- 
ment. Such excited efforts, I say, are rebuked by this event. For, 
ahhough the object ivas gained, it was not allowed to be enjoyed. 

5. It shows the instability of human hopes, how bright and flat- 
tering soever they may be. Man, my brethren, can make nothing 
strong. His wisdom and his power can give perpetuity to nothing 
which he wishes to retain. Ah! could they do so, our fond expec- 
tations would not so often elude and distract us, nor life appear that 
scene of delusion and mockery which w'e find it to be, nor our 
anticipations wrecked in the hour of their realization. 

6. It teaches us the vanity of human glory, the object of such 
incessant toil. How unsubstantial ! It is chilled at the though', 
and perishes at the touch of death. Yea, "the path of glory leads 
but to the grave." Of all the vanities of earth, that " lead to 
bewilder and dazzle to blind," this is most vain , least rewards the 
labors that secure it, or alleviates the pains which its acquisition 
inflicts, or gilds the retrospect of life's last hour. What are all 
the honors that even a nation can confer, to the dying or the dead. 
Can they extract the thorns, or soothe the sorrows of expiring na- 
ture? Happy he, whose ambition prompts hitn to seek that "honor 
which Cometh from God only." 

7. It preaches a solemn lesson in this nation's ears, never before 
published from that high eminence; enforcing the admonition of 
Christ upon this whole land; "Be ye also rcad3r, for in such an 
hour as ye think not, the son of man comelh." It should remind 



23 

us that as men, so nations are mortal, that they have their death, 
and burial, but more melancholy still, they have no resurrection. 
It shows us that there is no protection against the invasion and the 
desolation of death . 

" Not glittering line 
or guards in pompous niMil arrayed, 
Bastion, or moated wall, or mound, 

Or palisade ; 
Or covered trench, secure and deep; 
All these cannot one victim keep, 

O death ! from thee, 
When thou dost battle in thy wrath, 
And thy strong shafts pursue their path 

Unerring!}'. " 

It shows that every condition and grade of society is equally ac- 
cessible and subject to death, whether of wealth or poverty, honor 
or infamy. Truly has it been said, 

"Pallida mors aequo pulsat pede pauperuni tabcrnas, 
Reg^anque iurres." 

"With eijual pace, impartial fate, 

Knocks at the palace and the cottage gate." 

Thus wcare all destined to fall beneath the shaft of the unerring- 
archer. Few of us will reach the age, and none of us, it is pro- 
bable, the honors of the late President. Ere as many years shall 
roll over the face of nature, our bodies shall be sleeping the sleep 
of death, reposing in dreamless slumbers upon his leaden pillow. 
The only security for our souls, the only passport into a better 
world, is a standing preparation for our departure. 

I close this discourse with a word to you, young gentlemen, at 
whose solicitation 1 undertook this task ; a word of acknowledg- 
ment, of apology and of exhortation : Of acknowledgment, at this 
expression of your regard, and the kind attention you have given to 
this discourse: Of apology, for the conscious imperfection of too 
great an undertaking: and of exhortation, that each one of you 



24 

may act well his part as a christian and a citizen; that leaving 
these walls and ascending the busy theatre of life, you may occupy 
with credit to yourselves and usefulness to your country, the sta- 
tions assigned you ; and when called to surrender them, gathering 
up your feet, as one prepared for the summons, you may find a 
peaceful retreat from the cares and the duties of this world, to that 
abode, where "the wicked cease from troubling and the weary be 
at rest." Amen. 



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